Ring Around the Traffic Jam

PT Angkasa Pura, Jasa Marga, Bali Tourism Development Corporation and Pelindo III are reported to be in talks on establishing a joint venture to build a toll road connecting the port areas of Benoa with Nusa Dua on the southernmost tip of the island of Bali.

Beritabali.com said the proposed road would create a direct link between Sanur-Denpasar and Nusa Dua, dramatically shortening the distance between the two points and bypassing the current bottlenecks at the Simpang Siur intersection and Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.

The ongoing discussion were confirmed to the press on Friday, November 12, 2010, by Heru Legowo, General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I, the company that manages Bali's airport. The other potential partners in the project are Jasa Marga who operate toll roads across Indonesia; Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC) the owners and operators of the Nusa Dua Complex; and Pelindo III the major shipping port operator. All four companies are State-owned enterprises.

Describing the proposed new road, Legowo said: "This toll road would pass over mangrove areas at a height of 2 meters above the ground. This would be an alternative road to reduce traffic congestion to Nusa Dua. This is only a preliminary proposal. No calculations have yet been done. This project (if materialized) would be a State-owned project dedicated to national development."